Using TIMSS 2015 to Examine Parental Influences on Fourth Grade Students’ Science Achievement and Attitudes Toward Learning and Doing Science

Abstract

More than ever before, countries are relying on their experts in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields to find solutions to serious global problems, such as climate change, hunger, and disease. Unfortunately, the growing demand for these experts is outpacing supply. At each stage in the educational pipeline from the primary grades through university, there is substantial attrition in the number of students studying STEM subjects.From the early grades, students’ home environment has a powerful influence on their science achievement. However, there has been little research into the factors that have the most influence on inspiring young students to continue studying science. This dissertation extended investigations by Swedish researchers who used TIMSS and PIRLS 2011 data and structural equation modeling to show that that fourth grade students with higher achievement in science had well-educated parents who had many books at home, and spent time engaging their child in early learning activities, such that the child began school with basic skills already developed. After replicating the Swedish TIMSS and PIRLS 2011 Common Model with TIMSS 2015 data and finding good agreement, additional variables were systematically examined with a focus on the role of attitudes. Extending the explanation of the influence of parents’ education to include their educational expectations for their child and updating the model to include home digital resources elaborated on this Base Model. However, the hypothesis that parents’ attitudes toward mathematics and science would have a role in explaining science achievement was not supported. Analyzed either as a second independent variable with parents’ education or as a mediating variable, the effect was negligible. Finally, parents’ education levels had little or no relationship with the degree to which students like learning science, but a notable relationship with students’ confidence in their ability to do science. Clearly, more research into how parents’ attitudes and other home factors can influence students’ to study science throughout their academic careers is warranted.